Former GAY TIMES cover star, and the recipient of the 2023 GAY TIMES Honour for Rising Star in Music, Dua Saleh has been firmly on our radar for several years. Coming to mass attention as Cal in Sex Education, the Sudanese-American artist provided much-needed non-binary representation within a mainstream television show. However, we’ve always best known them as one of our favourite musicians, with a fluid approach to genre that allows them to effortlessly traverse R&B, pop, rock and electronic, all while maintaining a vulnerable and expressive approach to lyricism.
After dropping their album I SHOULD CALL THEM earlier this year via cult label Ghostly International, Saleh is gearing up to go on tour in early 2025. To celebrate, we tapped the artist to detail their ten favourite queer R&B artists. Get ready to have these musicians on repeat…
Kamilla Love
My favourite artist from the Midwest in my home state, Minnesota, is Kamilla Love. She has a wispy R&B voice that translates through sound waves in a way that pierces the soul. Her songwriting is filled with lived experience and gives deep insight on her past relationships and the things that she’s experiencing. Her music is coded in strong, fiery feelings, which I believe to be highly influenced by her star sign, Aries. My favourite song by her at the moment is “Revenge”
Def Sound
I found this artist through the label that I just signed to, Ghostly International. They do a combination of hip-hop and R&B fusion. There is a lot of liberation expression throughout the lyrics of this artist’s work. It feels good to know that I have label mates that care about the world. Here’s a song that I like by them: “AMEEN” by Def Sound feat. Lauren Jauregui.
kwn
kwn is a new artist based in Los Angeles that people put me onto. This artist is masculine presenting and creates prolific R&B music that you can play in the bedroom and also get in your feelings too. Recently, I’ve seen a couple of songs by this artist go viral on TikTok. If you like music with runs and embellishments, or that reflects genres similar to Ambré, Kehlani, and Destin Conrad, then this is the artist for you. A song I suggest featuring kwn is “Clothes Off” by Kehlani feat. kwn.
Gwen Bunn
Gwen Bunn has a smooth tone that sits on your skin like honey. It’s a lot of music reflecting the trend towards Y2K R&B, and sounds of contemporary R&B. It’s a nostalgic sound that hits that spot in your ear that you really need to feel. If you’re looking for pensive music that you can smoke a blunt to, this is the right artist for you.
Hope Tala
This UK-based artist’s music crosses through many lanes and transcends genres. Her soft voice mixed with a deeply wise and insightful tone of her lyricism is like a trance. Listening to Hope is like hearing your favorite poem from the mouth of a hummingbird. Her music draws you in and offers relief, even if only within the time that it takes to listen to the songs. A song I’m listening to right now by Hope Tala is “Thank Goodness.”
Raveena
Raveena is an R&B artist that mixes traditional sounds from her home country and indie R&B. This artist creates an ethereal sound through the sonic world that she provides to her audience. Seeing Raveena live is like dipping into a warm oasis. The sweetness of her music is healing, especially when knowing that she is fully expressive about her queer identity. This is an artist that I suggest playing at day parties in the park or at dinner events. A song I suggest is “Pluto.”
Reneé Rapp
Although mainly known as a pop artist, Reneé Rapp is also extremely talented from an R&B standpoint. You can hear this on her pop R&B song “Tummy Hurts” which shows off her ability to perform riff and runs at a technically advanced level. Recently she’s become an icon to the sapphic community specifically to lesbians by coming out. I think it’s important for people to see this sort of representation in mass media as well as in an inter-community network.
Keiynan Lonsdale
I found this artist a a few years ago while looking for other artists within my respective community. What’s important to me about this artist is the songwriting that takes place, which is raw and relatable. He really draws you in with the words that come about as well as with art direction because of his hands on approach as a multifaceted producer, director, and editor of his videos. I also think it’s cool that Keiynan has so many different backgrounds being Irish, Australian, and Nigerian. It’s important to have representation from all of those places. The song I suggest is “Gay Street Fighter.”
Charlotte Day Wilson
The soulful sound of CDW’s music is really something that encapsulates the sentiments of a lot of people as they process their emotions in their relationships. Her poetic cadence is really profound and offers emotional sustenance for listeners. I suggest listening to some of the more angst-riddled songs from her catalog to process emotions that are more difficult to articulate out loud. A song I suggest by Charlotte is “I Don’t Love You – Live at Maida Vale”
Uzo (Formerly CJ Run)
Uzo is a talented artist that raps, sings, and produces their own music. Uzo is significant to me because of their imaginative and sympathisable pen. A lot of people find it difficult to reach an audience through storytelling but they’re able to do that beautifully. Uzo also happens to be transmasculine, which is unique in this current artistic climate. A song you should listen to by this artist is “Sterling” by Uzo ft CJ Run.
